


Stay Hidden

by Darkhymns



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: F/M, Intimacy, Outdoor Sex, Post-Canon, Romance, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 19:22:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkhymns/pseuds/Darkhymns
Summary: She wanted to be brave enough, to love him anywhere. But it's not always easy.





	Stay Hidden

**Author's Note:**

> This is all I can write now. Inspired by a cool prompt, sorry it took this long!

Colette found that, really, you could love someone anywhere if you were careful enough.

Not many houses were as wide and housed certain outdoor amenities like Colette’s. She was always grateful that she had a place to retreat to when she was little, the backyard a bit more open to the forest that surrounded her village, giving her a taste of the world that she could not go out to until it was her time of sacrifice. At the very least, she could enjoy what she could, instead of rushing to do so in the journey ahead of her.

Once the world was reunited though, the backyard seemed small. She only went out to help retrieve the laundry that had been hanging on the clothesline. Both her grandmother and father were out, and she would be leaving with Lloyd for who knows how long. The least she could do was finish up some chores.

“Colette! Quick! Tell me which one I should pack!” Lloyd rushed out to her, his voice showing that what he was asking for was of dire consequence… In one hand was a small piece of wood, looking like it had seen some fair progress with the knife, the first hint of flowing letters, foreign to Colette’s eyes, that were scribed within its sides. In his other hand, a bright trinket, this one also half-finished with letterings, looking very much like the beginnings of a fancy bracelet.

“Um…” Colette tried to be quick like Lloyd asked, but she wanted to make a good choice! She still stalled a little more than she wanted, until she finally pointed at the bracelet, the sunlight reflecting off its surface so prettily. “That one!”

Lloyd looked to her choice with a bit of disappointment. “Aw, this one’s harder though…”

Oh no! She chose wrong… But she was curious what this was about? “What’s this for, Lloyd?”

“My dad’s gonna teach me more dwarven arts. Like, the real secret ones, too! But I have to demonstrate some more stuff for him first. I can only choose one of these projects to work on while I’m away for some reason.” He pouted. “I think the Key Crest I made for you should be good enough…”

Colette really wanted to help out with his dilemma. “You can take the other one then instead!”

Lloyd didn’t look happy with that choice either. “I kinda already messed up on one side of it already. I could fix it! Just… it’s really annoying.”

Ah, this was difficult! She thought up another plan. “You could… bring both? You can just work on what you feel like during the time. And whatever you finish first, you can show him when we come back!”

Lloyd also pondered on this. “…He’ll know I brought both instead of one. _He’ll know.”_

Colette had to giggle at the look on his face. Lloyd wasn’t so distraught on it, and simply laughed with her. He quickly deposited both in the satchel that he had been carrying on his back. “I’ll figure it out later, I guess. Are you almost done?”

“Mmhmm! I just have to bring this inside.” She lifted a basket of folded sheets, the wind a bit strong and nearly pulling away at her hard work. But she saw Lloyd’s eyes drifting to beyond her, to the width of her backyard and the tall trees that surrounded them, like a makeshift fence.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh, nothing. Just… I don’t think I’ve ever been out here, have I?”

Colette shook her head. “Grandma didn’t let too many other kids in the house. So you probably didn’t get to be out here.” Every time she was out here, she would mainly be by herself. Sometimes with her grandmother who would recite her prayers to the skies, sometimes with her father when fixing up the grass, but mostly herself, seated on the ground and wondering what it would be like to rush past those trees, farther and farther out of Iselia’s borders. It was always very strange, how they never made sure to enclose it here. She could have left at any time.

But she didn’t. There was always someone here, waiting for her. There would be a time when she would have to leave him behind after all…

“It is a bit small though,” Lloyd said off handedly. “Dad would have probably chopped down those trees to make it bigger… oh, and he’d put like an extra storage place here I bet-”

Colette put down the laundry basket to give him a kiss, interrupting him in mid-sentence. Lloyd didn’t move back, but was too caught off guard to properly kiss her back before she stepped away.

It was not the first time that they had ever kissed, but it was the first time she had done so without asking him first.

Lloyd’s face was flushed from the sudden nearness. He took hold of her hand, the wind blowing just a little bit strongly. “Hey,” he asked with a smile. “What was that for?”

She gripped his hand back, feeling so warm underneath his gaze. “Just started wishing for something.”

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

She shook her head and stepped forward to kiss him again. Lloyd was more prepared for it this time, taking her mouth with a firm press of his own lips, wrapping an arm around her waist. She didn’t want it to end just then as it usually did, with a parting of their lips and soft laughter. She pressed even closer to him, her chest against his own, enough to feel the strength of him.

He breathed into her mouth, a little taken aback, but not moving away. “Colette, are you…” he started to ask, his own voice portraying something needy in him that she had been feeling herself for so long.

“Can you touch me?” she begged him. Her hands moved to press against his jacket, watching the way his chest rose with his quickening breath.

They were clumsy, but they were also eager. She only knew his continuing kisses as they both laid on the grass, the breeze around them so refreshing. She had already taken off her overcoat, unbuttoning her dress so that she could feel the wind more intimately, so that Lloyd could see her. His own jacket and shirt were off, and she ran her hands over the muscles there as she knelt above him. He held her up, a hand occasionally squeezing her breast as he kissed her, his tongue running over her lips, both keeping their voices low.

Because the thing was, even though no one could see them, the backyard wasn’t exactly soundproof. One could hear the other villagers outside clear enough, like she would do every day when she was little. The mayor gruffly telling a clearly disinterested passerby about his day, or the grocer hauling his stock down the road, trying to make a sale before he could even be behind a register. The sounds of Iselian daily life could still be heard through the breeze, familiar voices to her as Lloyd’s mouth swallowed away her moans.

Lloyd’s hands roamed around her chest, and soon he left her mouth to kiss at the sensitive skin there instead. She stretched at the new feeling, gasping as his lips brushed against a nipple before Lloyd’s curiosity got the better of him, exploring now with his tongue.

“A-ah, Lloyd, that’s-!” She placed a hand over her mouth, but sounds still escaped her, moreso when Lloyd sucked on her breast, his own groans low but soft.

He paused in his affection for just a moment, smiling up at her. “Shh, not too loud. Then again, I don’t think people would know…” He kissed her there again, learning where exactly his mouth caused the most reactions out of her. Colette gripped his arms, trying to hold herself steady, trying to regain some control, but all the while arching her chest to him more.

Through it all, she could hear other people of the village speaking, greeting each other, all the while unaware of her and Lloyd loving each other in the open like this (for the most part). Just innocuous things, background noise that she could easily ignore, and keep herself focused on watching Lloyd learn to love her.

And then, there were other things – a loud voice, she assumed from a farmer, carrying in the wind along with his ire and frustration. “Not _again!_ ” Followed by curses she could not bear to repeat, even in her head. “The potato crop died out again! Ridiculous! Why always my potatoes!?”

She was sure Lloyd didn’t hear that, not only because he was busy, but that he didn’t have hearing like hers. She could have turned it down if she wanted, but the words had sounded so funny to her, that all she could do was laugh.

Lloyd stopped kissing her chest to look up at her, confused. That only made her laugh more. “Sorry, sorry. I was just…” she giggled a little more.

“Err, you okay there?” Lloyd asked her, but with a smile.

“Just-” she laughed again, leaning into his neck, her body shivering from mirth. It wasn’t even that funny to begin with, and yet… “Potatoes! I’m sorry…”

“What? Potatoes?”

“Yeah!” She laughed again in his face, hugging him tight. But he was laughing too, his body shaking alongside hers.

“You’re so weird! Why are you talking about potatoes all of a sudden…”

She could barely explain. All she could do was kiss him on the lips, their laughter making it hard to be as neat or romantic as it could have been, but the sky was bright, and the wind so refreshing. And having him beneath her in the grass, she was so glad to experience this with him, imperfect and all.

* * *

Colette also learned that you could love someone anywhere if you were desperate enough.

Their latest Exsphere hunt had been, in short, a bit of a failure. They had only gotten a handful at most, and certain traders had escaped them, taking on a different route away from Sybak than what their source had told them. Colette knew that Lloyd wouldn’t blame Sheena for the now proven to be unreliable info, but she could tell how frustrated he was about it.

They needed to relax somewhere, and Zelos was particularly open about having his mansion available for his friends. It would be nice having a bed and indoor heating after camping outside for weeks. At least that was what Zelos kept saying. “Always welcome to have my most favorite country couple under my roof!”

“You really gotta focus on the country thing somehow?” Lloyd said with a bit more attitude than usual. Colette tried to be grateful enough for the both of them!

The house was empty later that day except for them, but still Lloyd’s mood stayed a bit sour. He knew it, too, and tried to apologize for it to Colette every moment or so. They sat on the plush living room couch where gifts for Zelos were _still_ laid out on the large table nearby. “Just, I have no idea where they went off too now…”

“We’ll find them, Lloyd. Maybe we can ask Zelos if he knows anyone that might, um, know anything!”

“Eh, we’re already bothering him using the house. I don’t want to have to keep asking favors… I was a jerk to him today anyway.”

“It’s okay.” And not knowing what else to do, Colette leaned forward to kiss him. He took it gratefully, though his face was still turned away. She so desperately wanted to fix that. So when she kissed him again, more insistent this time, she was glad that eventually he shifted his attention back to her fully. Enough that he kissed her with the same insistence, his breath leaving him when their lips parted again.

“Mm, Lloyd, you’ve been… really tense,” she whispered to him. They had explored each other’s bodies soon after Iselia, hands reaching for secret places around them, more experimental with their kisses, even with the burden of their own journey weighing down. But it had been too much, and she wanted to do the same now that they were within walls, and not moving anywhere soon.

When she moved more onto him, hands going through their exploration, she felt Lloyd, just like before, melt into her.

“Colette, shouldn’t we… go upstairs?” he asked, his question so low, but his mouth still seeking for hers. She didn’t answer him, and he didn’t expect her to. She moved her hands to the front of his trousers, pressing against him, familiarizing herself again with the shape there. She already knew how to unbutton him fast, how to grip him tight, and how a soft stroke could get his breath caught in his throat.

The couch was soft and large enough for them both to lay side by side. She held him there, so close, while his own hands reached for her leggings, wanting to give her back some of his own affection in return. They were still learning, but had done this enough to know when to lower her clothes for him, to guide his hands to the spot where it made her heart tighten, where she clenched her free hand into the soft fabric of the sofa cushions.

And maybe there was something here, loving each other in a house that was not their own, where anyone could walk in on them at any time. It only made her stroke him faster. He leaned his head into her shoulder, sliding his own fingers in her as she moved her hips.

“I… I’ll get it everywhere, if we…” Lloyd said, one worry able to leave him before he fell away to her touches again. She kissed him more, feeling his sighs against her as he breathed evenly, how the tension left his neck. All with her touches, and his own doing the same. She could stay here all day, doing this with him, creating a rhythm together. There was no rush to finish, and she was happy to stay here, relaxed in their own bubble of comfort and warmth, forgetting their responsibilities just so they could enjoy each other.

But again, her own hearing was a distraction. She kept forgetting to turn it down.

For one thing, she realized then that someone was still in the mansion… Footsteps reminded her of the butler, Sebastian, the elegant way he walked among the tiles. With a stutter, she stopped her stroking to Lloyd’s surprise.

“What-?” she pressed her fingers over his mouth, keeping him quiet. Eventually, she saw in Lloyd’s eyes that he could hear the same thing now that Sebastian’s footsteps were in regular range. _We have to hide!_ he was telling her through his expression, but she didn’t let them move. The couch was big, and the way they laid out on it, where it faced away from the doorway and more to the wall, would hide them really well… as long as no one decided they wanted to have a seat.

Sebastian had been going to the front door, despite there having been no knocking. Apparently, that didn’t matter, because both Lloyd and Colette could hear someone shuffling with impatience once the door was opened, and could only imagine for a moment who would be standing out there in the first place?

“Yo, can you take this for me?” The sound of something heavy being lifted, along with the crinkling of paper bags. “Another gift from another loving admirer. But I don’t know what to do with it. And I gotta rush to meet someone at the castle soon.”

Zelos? Either way, Colette was just really hoping that maybe he would be done with whatever he was doing so that they could escape? She should have listened to Lloyd, after all… Then what Sebastian said next nearly made her lose her nerve.

“Ah, Master Zelos. Another offering of potatoes, I see.”

A groan. “Seriously. I say I like mashed potatoes _once_ and suddenly it’s all I get from her. And not even mashed potatoes! Just. Potatoes. What, does she expect me to make it myself?”

“I could very well prepare some mashed potatoes for you at dinnertime if you would like.”

“I don’t want it! Just give it to Bud and his angel. It’s a real country thing to eat, I’m sure.”

She could feel Lloyd’s irritability at that. Luckily, he didn’t say anything. But she didn’t feel the same for herself.

Already her body was shaking from restrained laughter.

Lloyd looked at her with worry, mouthing out a _What’s wrong?_ But she only shook her head, burying her mouth into his jacket.

“Of course. I will give it to Sir Bud and Miss Colette tonight.”

“Perfect. They could have a potato buffet, because of my graciousness!”

“Of course, Master Zelos.”

A small snicker left her lips, but it stayed muffled against Lloyd’s clothes. Both Colette and Lloyd stiffened.

“And bless you, Master Zelos.”

A pause. “…Uh, thanks?”

The door was shut then, followed by the sound of the carried potatoes heading into the kitchen. When the kitchen doors were fully closed, Colette left her place in Lloyd’s chest to take in a breath, laughing a little more freely.

“Colette! Why are you so…?” But Lloyd could barely finish, laughing with her. “Is- is it the potatoes thing again? Really?”

“It-” She took in another breath, her cheeks hurting. “It’s just so weird!”

“Colette, you are such a dork!” But he hugged her tight, both still hiding within the recesses of the couch. And with the laughter, she felt not only tension release from Lloyd’s body, but from her own.

“I’m sorry,” she said to him, for not only her outburst, but for her rush to touch him. But he simply shook his head and kissed her sweetly.

“Don’t stop being you, okay?”

She nodded to that, tears from her laughing fit leaving her eyes.

* * *

Colette realized that you could love someone anywhere, if you wanted to forget where you were.

It was in one of the churches that dotted the incredibly small town of Hima. Even with the Church of Martel losing much of its power, its influence was harder to dissipate. And even when Colette asked everyone to stop referring to her as the Chosen, many still did, especially the priests. They had only been taught the teachings of Martel for so long, so she couldn’t fault them for that – although they seemed like they ignored it for the most part.

They had requested for her, so she stood before the head priest of this specific Church, his height a little intimidating and his calm voice even more so. Lloyd standing by her side helped reassure her, even when he remained silent. He had never been good at talking with those of the Church himself.

“We believe a visit from the Chosen herself would assuage the people’s nerves. Perhaps an assurance that the Goddess Martel would foresee their protection, even in such vastly different times.”

“Ah, that’s…” she started, but couldn’t really continue. The Church had been disbanded, and the pilgrimages of the Chosen would no longer be necessary… but she supposed not everyone got the notice. It wasn’t like the teachings themselves were harmful or anything. She had learned to care for others because of it, of course. “I will speak to people later then! I know some friends from Tethe’alla can also come by and let them know even more about their world.”

A small look of doubt passed over the priest’s face. “Ah, yes, the other world. Along with their so-called Chosen. We are lucky that you are so forgiving of them, and we hope they will learn to let us live our lives in peace.”

She didn’t have much to say to that. She felt Lloyd stiffen next to her, but he kept quiet.

The Church was small, not nearly as wide or as grand as the temple back in Iselia. Its pews were humble, and the dais where the sermons were held were just as so. There was a curtain held just behind the podium, perhaps for acolytes of the Church to prepare themselves before greeting the churchgoers. The priest continued to talk, but it all went through Colette’s head before he finally excused himself, moving to a side door.

“I will arrange a meeting with the officials, perhaps gather a few more nearby villages to help spread the word. Thank you once again, Chosen One.”

“Of course!” she said, her voice a bit too high-pitched. But if the man noticed, he paid it no mind, still smiling that calm smile before leaving both her and Lloyd alone in the prayer area.

Lloyd let out a groan. “Man, what a jerk. It’s like no matter what we say, it just goes over their heads.”

“Mm, they’re just… really used to it,” she tried to explain. “It’s normal for them to not be confident about Tethe’alla and everything.”

“Yeah, that, but they still keep calling you the Chosen! They know you have a name!”

That made her still for a moment. Did any of them actually know her name?

“Ah, sorry. You’re just trying to help them, I know, it just…” he trailed off once seeing Colette walk down the aisle between the pews. The curtain was etched with the symbol of Martel, honoring the made-up goddess instead of the spirit. It was the only place with decoration at all though, and it made her curious if there was anything more, hidden away.

She felt Lloyd’s eyes on her as she walked up the stairs that led to the podium, then searched for an opening to get through the curtain.

“Colette?” he called out to her. She heard him follow through the curtain. It was dimmer, the light from the windows not reaching here. But even in the grainy darkness, she could see where more offerings of Martel were shown. From statues, to excerpts of the angelic scriptures printed on colorful banners. There were also engravings of Martel’s face, as well as other past Chosen, decorating the walls, and their own perilous journeys that led to their end. If everything had gone as planned, her face would be here as well, she knew.

The priests must come here to be renewed, to have their faith refreshed, to be reminded of the mercy of Martel once more.

Lloyd’s footsteps were behind her. He laid a hand on her shoulder, doing so gently. “We can just leave right now. You don’t still need to do this for them.”

She turned around to kiss him before she could cry.

He only stepped back from the force of it, but soon balanced himself to take the strength of her kiss. It was the same for him soon, open mouthed and tongues brushing against each other. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him closer, as close as she could. Her body tried to meld with his as each embraced the other tightly.

She needed just then, right now, to get her body as close to his as possible.

Colette drew Lloyd to her, until her back was against a wall, making him pin her against it. She felt the soft material of a banner behind her. She forgot whatever words were on it.

“Love me, please,” she said, her voice breaking a little. They had never gone this far before, her always a little frightened of how much it might hurt, and Lloyd himself being not as fully confident about it. But she reached for her leggings, pushing them down to the floor. “Please.”

Even through their kisses, Lloyd had to take a moment, his breathing ragged and so hot against her skin. “Right here? But, we’re in…” He looked around at their surroundings, but the darkness was good, and the curtain had shut close, seeming to absorb all sound within. “If you want to, Colette. I thought that maybe…”

She shook her head. “I really want to now. It’s… it’s feeling too much.” She lifted her overcoat slightly so that he could see the bareness of her lower thighs. She felt Lloyd already reaching to unbutton his pants. They had tried very little before. Just very little, edging his way just outside her entrance before they would lose their courage and assure themselves to try another day. But now she spread apart her legs, using one to wrap around his waist, less ashamed of her heat.

“It’s okay, Colette. I’ll…” he said, his cock already out, the tip of it sliding up her thighs. “I want to love you so much. I want to.”

She gritted her teeth as he slowly pushed in. Slow and agonizing, but there was a hint of satisfaction as something inside her filled up. She moved her hips forward, and the angle helped him push in deeper. “It’s so nice,” she whispered. She shut her eyes to the rest of the place, focused on his length within her, and his own breathing, his own shaking body, also just as overwhelmed.

It didn’t take long to realize that movement, that begging, that the other’s moaning was what each needed. Colette leaned her head against the wall as Lloyd learned how to thrust within her, holding her up with hands placed firmly underneath her, pushing her down onto his cock with each motion. Their kisses became sloppy, his tongue gliding over her chin as he focused more on his place inside her.

As Martel’s vessel, her body was not to be harmed, taken, or claimed in any way. Sometimes, that teaching stayed with her. But Lloyd’s kisses, and his hands that explored through her warmth, or tasted her, pushed that old thought away. Him thrusting within her, building up the pace more and more, ensured that her body no longer belonged to any goddess or Church – it was her own now, and Lloyd’s. Only he could share it with her, and she tightened against his cock, never wanting him to let go.

“Aah… Colette…” He moaned out her name again. He unraveled before her, and she kissed him fully so that she could feel the shape of her name through his voice. His words came out muffled against her lips, and she felt their love in them. He kept going in and out between her thighs, their connection so sticky and hot, the sound of their hips swallowed by the banner behind them.

“More, more, Lloyd, I can’t hold back” she gasped out. She gripped at his collar as the feeling inside made her curl her toes. Her muscles contracted from the intensity, crying out her orgasm into her mouth. She wasn’t alone in that. He kissed her so hard that their teeth hit each other slightly. Something warm shot inside her, and, with some strange satisfaction, she was glad that this vessel of Martel was claimed completely.

Soft gentle kisses followed, still standing together despite shaky legs. Throughout it all, she had expected something to stop them. The door where the priest would disappear to would have opened, or the curtain would suddenly thrust aside, spilling light onto them. Or the Church bells could ring and suddenly a throng of people would enter, seated on the pews, leaving both Lloyd and Colette no room to escape except back the way they came.

None of that happened. They stayed that way, silent and private, in a place she never imagined she would be free to do so – and only because she broke every rule to do it.

She felt Lloyd’s smile during a kiss, and then he leaned into her ear. “Hey, Colette…”

Eyes half-lidded, she pressed her ear against those lips, his soft voice tickling her. It thrummed through her so gently, like a heartbeat, like gentle electricity, like-

“Potato.”

She stiffened, her thoughts losing all substance and texture…then burst out laughing.

Lloyd grinned in her face. “That actually worked? Colette, you dork.”

“S-stop!” She breathed out, her giggles puncturing her breaths with so much force. “Why did you even say that?”

“You were the one that kept bringing that up!” Lloyd argued. “I was just filling it in this time.”

She continued to laugh, still with him inside her, still with her body shaky from the sudden burst of emotion and love she had felt before. It was still there, but the happiness outweighed her fear and sudden sense of worth from before. She didn’t understand. She didn’t even like potatoes that much.

Lloyd kissed her on the nose, his smile so adorable to her that she only wanted to press it to her face for as long as she could. “You feel better though?” he asked her, his tone holding that genuine care she had always craved from him.

“Yes… thank you, Lloyd.” She pressed her forehead into his neck. “You’re so silly sometimes though.”

“Nah, that’s still you most of all,” he said, rubbing her hips with such comfort. “That’s what makes you cute.”

She giggled again, softer this time, feeling so safe and loved in his hold.

What a strange thing to be amused by. But Lloyd would always accept that strangeness of her, wouldn’t he? Along with everything else. She had never felt so lucky.


End file.
